Generally, an electrical connector includes a dielectric housing mounting at least one electrically conductive terminal therein. The terminal is electrically connected to another circuit component, such as a discrete wire. Connectors often are employed in mateable pairs such that each terminal and the housing of one connector are mateable with a corresponding terminal and the housing of another connector.
The terminals of electrical connectors frequently are very small components, such as components that are stamped and/or formed from thin sheet metal material. A poor quality electrical connection may occur if one or more terminals are not properly seated in its respective housing. The improper seating of a terminal in a housing may occur if the terminal is not fully inserted into the housing during the initial assembly of the connector or if the terminal is vibrated or pulled out of its fully seated condition during use of the connector. Failures of this type are a particular concern in the automotive industry where electrical components are subjected to vibration almost continuously during normal usage and are subjected to direct force during some maintenance. To avoid these problems, the automotive industry often requires connectors to be provided with some form of a terminal position assurance (TPA) system to detect incomplete insertion of the terminals. The automotive industry also generally requires locking means for locking the terminals in the housing, and a TPA system or device also performs this function.
The present invention is directed to providing a TPA system which provides considerable assurance of the detection of incompletely inserted terminals.